Swindon has been selected by some Christmas shoppers as a better shopping location to Oxford due to rising parking fees and traffic.

Peter Brooks, 53, is a driving instructor living in Carterton and often goes out of his way to choose the Wiltshire town as a retail spot.

He prefers to do his shopping in Swindon due to this and has made many recent purchases in and around the town.

"Most recently, I bought four new barstools our our new kitchen from The Range," he revealed.

"We don't have a go-to store as such, but we can normally find what we're looking for in the retail parks out of the town centre."

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The love for Swindon as a shopping destination only grew stronger for Peter and his wife Lesley, 65, during their recent visit to Oxford.

“My wife and I took the bus to reduce car usage but the bus actually took longer,” he said.

“It is a convoluted route and the only service available at weekends.”

The pair travelled on S1 Stagecoach service and were charged a high price £7.50 per person for a return.

“We were standing at the bus stop for ages as the bus was half an hour late, making the total journey back two hours long,” lamented Peter.

“The queue was huge with loads of people standing on the bus when it finally came.”

The experience was too much for the couple who sought out an alternative location for their shopping.

“We will probably never use the service again for shopping as it was overcrowded and late,” said Peter.

“Swindon is better for shopping, and it is so much more car friendly.”

This reasoning is not uncommon with many local residents who have noted the better accessibility and cost of Swindon’s extensive shopping options.

“Most of the retail car parks are free in Swindon whereas if you can actually find a space in Oxford, the prices are high,” added Peter.

“The council do nothing really to encourage people to their city.”

A two to three-hour stay in Oxford city centre can set back drivers around £9.50.

And it is even more in the Gloucester Green car park when wanting to stay for longer with customers charged £35.50 for an eight to 24 hours stay.

On a Saturday, a stay in the same car park of six to eight hours costs £30.50.

High parking charges and volumes of traffic are not only affecting Peter’s leisure but also his profession though as he is finding it harder to instruct drivers in Oxford.

“I have stopped Oxford pickups because of the traffic and journey times,” revealed Peter.

“It took 15 minutes to cover one mile and I thought blimey, I can walk quicker than that!”

Swindon evidently remains one of the shopping hotspots for those based in the South West of England with Christmas approaching.

What has your shopping experience been like in Swindon and/or in Oxford? Get in touch with edward.burnett@newsquest.co.uk